W.K. KELLOGG W.K. Grassroots Leadership Development: FOUNDATION A Guide for Grassroots Leaders, Support Organizations, and Funders Introduction The W. K. Kellogg Foundation invites and encourages you to read, use, and pass on the Grassroots Leadership Development Guide for Grassroots Leaders, Support Organizations, and Funders. The guide was written because of a strong belief that nurturing and supporting grassroots leaders and their organizations is central to sustaining our democracy and to encouraging healthy, vibrant communities throughout the world. The Kellogg Foundation has a long, rich history of involvement with grassroots leadership, its issues, and organizations. Approximately nine years ago, the Foundation funded a cluster of projects designed to strengthen grassroots leadership in the United States. The essential logic underlying this strategy was that grassroots leadership will grow through Foundation-supported programs that help find and nurture hidden talent, build trust, and encourage coopera- tion among potential citizen leaders. Such programs seek to improve the capacity of participants to solve broad problems facing society and to deliver better human services to social and cultural groups in local communities. For example, the Foundation might support a program that organizes and trains young parents to help local school officials address the problems of youth in a decaying urban environment. This approach would also lead to strong collaborations and networking. All programs in this area would seek to: • Heighten the sense of public responsibility for individual citizens and improve their understanding of creativity as applied to their activities; • Foster collaboration and cooperation between various sectors within communities; • Enhance the leadership skills and capacity of individuals who are, or will be, active in the civic life of their communities; and • Focus on grassroots leadership needs for traditionally underrepresented groups in inner-city neighborhoods and rural communities. In order to learn from its investment and share it widely, the Foundation contracted with Dr. Jeanne L. Campbell of St. Paul, Minnesota, to lead the field research evaluation project. Dr. Campbell visited the 23 grantees and collected information about their work from leaders and staff. The Campbell Report contains five summarized findings and offers new information and insights into the field of practice. It is a rich compilation of information and lessons organized for three distinct audiences central to grassroots leadership development—current and aspiring grassroots leaders, funders, and support organizations that provide skills training and capacity building techniques to grassroots leaders and organizations. A separate workbook specifically targets current and aspiring grassroots leaders and poses questions designed to encourage their development. Regardless of what this exciting and growing body of work is called, the evaluation research found that an effective grassroots leadership development strategy is an essential component of any community. This guide provides an overview of the research findings and information designed to elicit a thoughtful discussion of grassroots leadership skills. As this guide points out, the number of people involved with grassroots leadership development is growing. The involved organizations vary widely in size and scope. They include schools, community leadership programs, intermediary organizations fostering community organizing and/or community development, issue coalitions, and local colleges and human service agencies. Grassroots leaders affect many arenas. Support organizations and funders offer encouragement, training, and technical experience in many different ways. The Kellogg Foundation’s intention is to add to the field’s body of knowledge and to encourage discussions and learning that help all of us as citizens and leaders to be more deliberate about our efforts to develop grassroots leadership. A quick scan of any community—urban, rural, or suburban—discloses the urgent need for this type of focus. Read, increase your awareness and appreciation, share your thoughts with colleagues, and keep us informed. These lessons challenge all of us to look more closely at the many contributions of grassroots leaders. The ultimate question is, are we all willing to support this critical movement that helps to keep democracy alive and well in all of our communities? Velma Monteiro-Tribble Executive Liaison to Programs and Program Director 1 Acknowledgements Leaders and staff of 23 organizations participated in the grassroots leadership study. Their passion, commitment, and innovations have made this work possible. Without their involvement and leadership, there would be no lessons. Many thanks to them and those who are following them. Similarly, WKKF is indebted to the dedication and professional talents of Jeanne Campbell and her team of researchers. They have broken new ground through their thorough review, field visits, and discussion with grassroots leaders and support organization staff that work with them. The Foundation staff added a rich beginning and context for this work. A special thanks to program directors Freddye Webb-Petett, John Burkhardt, Betty J. Overton-Adkins, Ali Webb and others. Many colleagues from other foundations and organizations contributed to the essays that follow and to the many rich examples. Thanks to them and all who provided us advice as we shaped this work—they include a sounding board group (Mario Acosta, Robin Epstein, Sara Gould, Jeff Malachowsky, Delores Parker, and Angie Woodward). Our final thanks go to our editor, Tom Adams, who produced the draft manuscript, and Kathleen Schafer, who worked to make this Guide useful and readable along with graphic designer Terri Haas-Wittmann. 2 Table of Contents Overview of the Five Key Findings . 6 Why Invest in Grassroots Leadership Development? Sarah Gould and Jeff Malachowsky . 8 Finding 1 . 10 Developing Grassroots Leaders: What’s Different? A Funder/Practitioner View. Cheryl Casciani . 12 Finding 2 . 15 Grassroots Leadership Development: An Essential Strategy for Changing Communities. Rinku Sen . 16 Finding 3 . 19 The Triple Focus. Tom Adams . 21 Finding 4 . 24 Finding 5 . 25 Findings Summary . 27 The Cross-cutting of the Grassroots Leadership Strategy. Regina McGraw . 28 The Importance of Support Organizations . 31 No One Goes It Alone: Types and Roles of Intermediary and Support Organizations. Seth Borges . 34 Creative Capacity Building: Developing and Supporting Effective Grassroots Organizations. George Knight . 36 Why Support Organizations are Growing . 39 Diamonds in the Rough: Funding Grassroots Work. Terri Langston . 40 Appreciating Diversity and Building Effective Bridges: The Grassroots Leader’s Challenge. Rinku Sen . 42 Making the Case–Supporting Grassroots Leadership Development. Spence Limbocker . 45 Practices that Work: The Triple Focus in Action . 50 Challenges We Face . 54 Conclusion . 55 3 Joan Robinett was a stay-at-home Thomas James is a retired mailman mom focused on her family and her who has always been active in his infant child’s life-threatening stomach neighborhood association in the illness. While seeking help for her Barton Heights neighborhood of son, she discovered that a nearby Richmond. His part of the neighbor- chemical plant was polluting her hood was well maintained with a drinking water and worsening her great deal of pride. Nearby blocks son’s condition. Joan’s passion for were deteriorating, however, and more serving her family grew, as she and more homes were abandoned. became a leader in her community Mr. James got involved with a and eventually throughout other areas nonprofit neighborhood development of Eastern Kentucky. After a seven- organization working in his commu- year research and organizing effort, nity. It was in trouble. Mr. James Joan and a coalition she helped recruited new board members, organize succeeded in cleaning up the surveyed his neighbors about their water. Joan used what she had learned priorities, and was a leader in and turned her attention to other turning around the organization issues in her own and neighboring and the neighborhood. He hadn’t counties. County officials told her and envisioned this work as part of her neighbors that there were no his retirement plan. illegal trash dumps. Her organization found and documented 230 such dumps. Joan didn’t plan to work on illegal dumping. She didn’t plan to start organizations or to become a mentor to other new grassroots leaders across Kentucky. But she did. 4 Claudia Ortega worked at a univer- Getting involved with a youth organi- What do these four leaders have sity in Reno, NV. She was invited to zation wasn’t an accident for Malika in common? They come from a meeting with other Latinos after a Sanders. Her parents were civil different parts of the country, Latino candidate lost a local election. rights activists, and she was on the different family and ethnic Those present decided something picket line in her mother’s womb. At backgrounds, and are concerned had to change, and they organized age 12, she had a spiritual experience about different kinds of issues. the Latinos for Political Education. that convinced her that involvement in What they share is an identity She quickly saw how difficult it was issues of social justice was her life’s to help new Latino immigrants see work. “I had to do it to be at peace.” as a grassroots leader. But themselves as U.S. citizens. She